The New Testament

In Hebrews 12:9, we read that God is "the Father of spirits." He is compared to our own "fathers of our flesh" from whom we receive chastisement and to whom we give reverence. Like our earthly father, our Heavenly Father will occasionally correct us with love and we should show Him gratitude and reverence in return. We have inherited spiritual traits from our Heavenly Father. We are divine in our nature and in our potential to become like Him. Like our earthly father, our Heavenly Father knows us by name and He loves us. President Oaks states, "I am a child of God with a spirit lineage to heavenly parents. That parentage defines our eternal potential. That powerful idea is a potent antidepressant. It can strengthen each of us to make righteous choices and to seek the best that is within us. Establish in the mind of a young person the powerful idea that he or she is a child of God and you have given self-respect and motivation to move against the problems o

In Ephesians 6:4, Paul explained to the Saints that parents should bring up their children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Parents can find direction for how to raise their children in the gospel of Jesus Christ by studying the scriptures and by listening to the words of our modern prophets. Our prophets have directed us to hold weekly Family Home Evenings, study the scriptures as a family daily, and pray daily as a family. At our most recent General Conference, significant changes were made in the church schedule and curriculum, changing the focus of gospel learning to be more home centered. Elder Quentin L. Cook explained, "The new home-centered and Church-supported curriculum needs to influence more powerfully family religious observance and behavior and personal religious observance and behavior. We know the spiritual impact and the deep and lasting conversion that can be achieved in the home setting. Years ago, a study established that for young men

In Romans 3:22 -24, we read that if we have faith in the Savior and repent of our sins, then we can receive salvation through His Atonement. We are "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, grace is often referred to as the power of the Atonement of Christ and to be justified is to be made righteous. What would your life be like without the Atonement of Jesus Christ? As I’ve studied the New Testament, I’ve noticed how little the Atonement of Jesus Christ is mentioned. In fact, the word atonement or atone in any form is only mentioned once in all the New Testament. But, this essential part of the Plan of Salvation makes the rest of the plan possible. We all sin and we all struggle with the trials of life, so we all need the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives. How can we receive this power in our lives? President Russell M. Nelson states:      When

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul teaches the Saints about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ after false prophets taught that there was no resurrection of the dead. There is one great message of the Savior's Resurrection: hope. His Resurrection offers us hope in being reunited with our loved ones who have passed on and hope in the end of our struggling and sorrow. His Resurrection gives us "victory over death." Because of the Fall, all men will face physical death. But, because of Christ, we know that we can be made alive again through His Resurrection, which makes our own resurrection possible. In verse 22, as Paul explains it, "For as in Adam we all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." And, later in the chapter, we read, "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? . . . thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (verses 54 - 57). Death is not the end and

In Acts 9, we read about when Jesus appeared to Saul on his way to Damascus. The Lord asked him why he was persecuting Him. Saul replied in astonishment, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" The Lord then told Saul to go into the city where he'd be told what to do once he was there. Saul did what was asked of him. He acted in faith and he did the Lord's will even though he did not fully understand what was asked of him. Like Saul, we may be asked to do the Lord's will even when we don't understand how or why we're asked to do it. Have you received a calling you felt inadequate to fulfill? Has a prophet or other church leader asked you to do something that you felt was beyond your abilities, such as paying a full tithe or serving a mission? Elder Neal A. Maxwell stated: “The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we ‘give,’ … are actually the things He has already

In Matthew 28, we read about the resurrection of the Savior. As He prophesied, 3 days after His body was laid in the tomb following His Crucifixion, He rose from the dead. When His loved ones sought Him in the empty tomb, an angel said to them, “He is not here: for he is risen” (Matthew 28:6). His body and His spirit were reunited after His death. What does the Savior’s resurrection mean for us? Perhaps the greatest gift of His resurrection is hope. His resurrection means that death is not the end for us. We all receive immortality because of His resurrection. Our spirit and our body will be reunited. The Resurrection means that we have hope of being reunited with our loved ones who pass on before us. Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained, “The gift of immortality to all mankind through the reality of the Resurrection is so powerful a promise that our rejoicing in these great and generous gifts should drown out any sorrow, assuage any grief, conquer any mood, dissolve any despair,